AUGUSTA, Ga. (March 14, 2014) – Senior Sian Evans (Gillingham, England) carded a score of 2-over-par 74 to lead the No. 46-ranked ETSU women’s golf team during first round play in the 3M Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate Friday at the Forest Hills Golf Club.

Evans’ efforts tied her for third on the individual leaderboard, just one stroke off the pace set by Mercer’s Lacey Fears and Illinois’ Samanthan Postillion with their pair of 1-over-par 73s. As a team, the Buccaneers battled tough playing conditions but still placed five players in the Top 20 individually, finishing in second place on the team leaderboard ahead of programs like No. 41 Kansas, No. 48 Illinois and No. 43 GRU Augusta.

“Today the conditions were really tough and the girls battled all day to get us in the final grouping for tomorrow,” said ETSU assistant coach Lauren Stratton, who is on the road with the team as head coach Stefanie Shelton is on maternity leave. “I am very proud of the effort, and I am excited to see how many shots we can make up when we play 36 holes tomorrow.”

Due to inclement weather expected on Sunday in Augusta, the tournament format has been adjusted to accommodate a 36-hole schedule on Saturday to finish the three-round event. This leaves the Bucs in the same grouping with Vanderbilt, which currently holds a 10-stroke edge for the top spot.

The Bucs showed they have the depth to compete for the team title, as Evans was joined in the Top 20 by her other teammates. Specifically, sophomore Vivienne Chin (Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia) and junior Gabriella Wahl (Heidenheim, Germany) both tied for 16th, while freshman Linda Dobele (Ogre, Latvia) and senior Lourdes Lopez (Cadiz, Spain) tied for 20th.

Fans wishing to keep up to date on the Buccaneers progress in Saturday’s final two rounds can do so by visiting Golfstat.com and clicking on the women’s golf link. For more on ETSU women’s golf throughout the spring, visit ETSUBucs.com and click on the women’s golf link.